As a fan of Astrid Williamson and her band, Goya Dress, it was unfortunate to see her re-emerge into the music scene, years later, and backed by a newly signed distribution deal with indie/hipster/Bjork label One Little Indian, only to have the press pigeonhole her quiet, gauzy songs as “Folk”. Having heard prior CD’s Boy For You, with it’s rollicking title track, and the fact alone that Goya Dress’ only long player, Rooms, was produced by John Cale, you’d think she’d be reeking of attitude and indie cred.
Accolades followed, yet stardom did not.
Each album released seemed to grow sleepier. Yet, while Astrid’s progression in sound was certainly audible, with the instrumentation moving into a more organic realm,and while her songwriting only seemed to improve, it was hard to imagine Astrid rocking herself out of complacency and shaking off the stigma of “Folkie” that was mistakenly bestowed upon her.
Now, to clarify, there is nothing wrong with being a Folkie or playing Folk music. But in applying the terms to Astrid and her work, it detracts from everything her music and voice represent. There’s a maturity in her songs, something that takes them beyond conjured vignettes into fully formed stories that have been lived in. And her voice can go from milk and honey to roaring force of nature. In fact, I have a hunch that she undersings on a lot of her songs becuase of the sheer power she’s capable of unleashing…like hitting the gas pedal of an Italian sports car, it has to be handled carefully.
Luckily, Astrid’s gotten a second wind, and on Here Come the Vikings, she’s come full circle, back to the girl with the guitar she was 15 years ago. And it pays off in every way. In fact, it’s also her most varied collection of songs since Boy For You. From the first track, Store, with it’s lyrics warning people to be careful where they put their baggage and hearts to second track, and hopefully at some point a single, Sing the Body Electric, Astrid keeps the groove going. Electronic flourishes flesh out Falling Down, which is ready for the remix treatment, and current single Shut Your Mouth, vastly improves with repeated listens.
When the pace slows down, Astrid still keeps things interesting. Crashing Mini’s explodes (literally) the metaphor of love as car crash, while The Stars are Beautiful is a simple and effective closer.
For the past ten years, Astrid’s music has been an important niche in my CD collection. Several CD’s I’ve purchased multiple copies of, either for an extra song, or a limited edition vinyl pressing (of which, her cover of Snow Patrol’s Run is infinitely better than Leona Lewis’). When she had to move forward without the benefit of a label backing her, she was stuffing envelopes with low budget CD’s with handwritten thank you notes and mailing them to fans. She’s worked her way from the ground up, and she’s fought to get her music heard. While so many artists are considered disposable, it’s a complement to Astrid to say that her music is enduring and complex and that with each release, I’ll be looking forward to hearing where she goes next and happy for all of her much deserved success.
